Pneumatic transport apparatus

ABSTRACT

A device for transporting mail in cities, suburbs, and rural districts. This device utilizes fins in order to stabilize it in travel within hollow rigid tubes which extend underground. The transport vehicle within the tubes is of such structure so as to easily navigate turns in the tube and included on the vehicle are flexible rings which engage the interior surface of the tube so as to cause little or no loss of air compression.

United States Patent Charles Herndon 9 John, Shelbyvillc, Ind. 46146Appl. No. 874,667 Filed Nov. 6, 1969 Patented Oct. 12, 1971 lnventorPNEUMATIC TRANSPORT APPARATUS 2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 243/19, 243/32, 243/39 Int. Cl. 865g 51/32 Field of Search243/32-35,

ReferencesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,248,071 4/1966 Cook 3,323,7556/1967 V0itas....

Primary Examiner-l-larvey C. Hornsby ABSTRACT: A device for transportingmail in cities, suburbs, and rural districts. This device utilizes finsin order to stabilize it in travel within hollow rigid tubes whichextend underground. The transport vehicle within the tubes is of suchstructure so as to easily navigate turns in the tube and included on thevehicle are flexible rings which engage the interior surface of the tubeso as to cause little or no loss of air compres- S1011.

PATENTEDUEHZISYI 3,612,438

INVEN'I (1R. CHARLES HERNDON PNEUMATIC TRANSPORT APPARATUS Thisinvention relates to pneumatic capsule-transporting devices for mail andthe like.

It is therefore the main purpose of this invention to provide apneumatic transport apparatus which will include a rigid hollow tubularstructure which will have opening means for access to a capsule likecarrier vehicle.

Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus of the typedescribed which will have a capsule carrier vehicle that will be stablein transport.

A further object of this invention is to provide an apparatus of thetype described in which the capsule carrier for containing the mail andthe like will be nonrigid so as to prevent possible binding within therigid tube and the capsule will also have spaced-apart fin members onits outer periphery to impart lateral stability around the longitudinalaxis thereof.

A still further objectof this invention is to provide a pneumaticapparatus which will have resilient angular rings near each end'toprevent loss of air compression during the operation of the apparatus,the resilient rings being in sliding engagement with the inner peripheryof the tube carrying the capsule.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide pneumatictransport apparatus for mail or the like which is simple in design,inexpensive to manufacture, rugged in construction, easy to use andefficient in operation.

These and other objects will be readily evident upon a study of thefollowing specification and the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the present invention shown partly broken away;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal side view of the capsule carrier vehicle shown inelevation and partly broken away; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the vehicle showing thefunction of one of the flexible plastic rings which serve to maintainthe air compression during the operation of the apparatus.

According to this invention, a pneumatic transport apparatus is shown toinclude a rigid hollow tube 11 of elongated configuration which isembedded within the ground 12 and extends through a building wall 13.

Tube 11 is constructed with a plurality of bends l4 and is capped by aremovable cap 15 at one end and at the other end is capped by a cap 15which is also removable for servicing the control elements.

Cap 15 engages end 16 where the mail or other cargo is to be deliveredand cap 15 engages end 16' located behind building wall 13. Within cap15 is secured an automatic stop control 17 and perforated walls 18 and18' are secured to the inner periphery of tube 11 near the respectivecaps 15 and 15'.

Walls 18 and 18' are perforated to allow for the entrance of air intoapparatus 10. Encased fan and two way switch 19 are secured withinapparatus 10 behind wall 13 and provides air under pressure to operateapparatus 10. An electric cable 20 provides power means for apparatus 10when plugged into an electrical outlet or the like.

A hinged cover 21 (the hinges not shown) covers the openings 21' andprojections 22 of cover 21 provide hand grasping means to open cover 21for access to capsule vehicle 23.

Capsule vehicle 23 is of a resilient plastic material so as not to bindwithin tube 11. Vehicle 23 is provided with a hinged cover 24 whichallows for placing and removing letters 25 when covers 21 of tube 11 areopen. An elongated depression 26 of cover 24 allows grasping means inorder to open cover 24 of vehicle 23. A plurality of parallel spacedapart fins 27 on the outer periphery of vehicle 23 serve to aid inpreventing roll about the longitudinal axis of vehicle 23 and fins 27abut with a pair of projecting and spaced-apart plastic rings 28, rings28 being resilient in nature so as to flexibly engage the innerperiphery of tube 11 throughout the travel of vehicle 23 in order tomaintain a maximum of air compression which propels vehicle 23 throughtube 11 and rings 28 are carried within an annular groove 29 whichserves to render them stationary at all times.

The remote portion of tube 11 of apparatus 10 is supported by a post 30in order that letters 25 may be removed easily from opening 21'.

What I now claim is:

1. A pneumatic transport apparatus comprising a rigid pneumatictransport tube having a plurality of bends along its length, acapsule-type carrier vehicle for delivering mail and the like to aremote point and receiving mail from said remote point, a plurality ofstabilizing fins carried by said carrier vehicle, a pair of resilientplastic rings carried by said vehicle providing means of maintaining airunder pressure within said rigid tube and allowing for a nonbindingaction throughout the travel of said carrier vehicle, a body of saidvehicle being hollow for the insertion of letters and the like, andbeing of flexible plastic material so to allow nonbinding action whensaid carrier vehicle is navigating said bends of said transport tubecarrying said carrier vehicle, said body including a plurality ofparallel, spaced-apart fins, said fins being aligned with a longitudinalaxis of said carrier vehicle and serving to stabilize said vehicle inits travel by aiding in preventing roll about a longitudinal axis ofsaid vehicle, said fins extending at their opposite ends up to saidplastic rings which are spaced apart from each other, said plastic ringsbeing parallel to each other and being adaptable to flexibly engage theinner periphery of said tube carrying said vehicle.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said flexible plasticrings are fixedly engaged in annular grooves on opposite ends of thebody of said vehicle, said grooves providing restraining means toprevent dislodging of said rings, the outer periphery of said ringsserving to engage the inner periphery of said tube carrying said vehicleto prevent a loss of air compression and said rings are also flexible soas to allow said vehicle to traverse various bends within the rigid tubecarrying said vehicle without said vehicle binding within said tube andthe partial flexibility of said body of said vehicle further increasesthe efficiency of said vehicle by aiding in preventing binding withinsaid bends of said tube carrying said vehicle.

1. A pneumatic transport apparatus comprising a rigid pneumatictransport tube having a plurality of bends along its length, acapsule-type carrier vehicle for delivering mail and the like to aremote point and receiving mail from said remote point, a plurality ofstabilizing fins carried by said carrier vehicle, a pair of resilientplastic rings carried by said vehicle providing means of maintaining airunder pressure within said rigid tube and allowing for a nonbindingaction throughout the travel of said carrier vehicle, a body of saidvehicle being hollow for the insertion of letters and the like, andbeing of flexible plastic material so to allow nonbinding action whensaid carrier vehicle is navigating said bends of said transport tubecarrying said carrier vehicle, said body including a plurality ofparallel, spaced-apart fins, said fins being aligned with a longitudinalaxis of said carrier vehicle and serving to stabilize said vehicle inits travel by aiding in preventing roll about a longitudinal axis ofsaid vehicle, said fins extending at their opposite ends up to saidplastic rings which are spaced apart from each other, said plastic ringsbeing parallel to each other and being adaptable to flexibly engage theinner periphery of said tube carrying said vehicle.
 2. The combinationaccording to claim 1 wherein said flexible plastic rings are fixedlyengaged in annular grooves on opposite ends of the body of said vehicle,said grooves providing restraining means to prevent dislodging of saidrings, the outer periphery of said rings serving to engage the innerperiphery of said tube carrying said vehicle to prevent a loss of aircompression and said rings are also flexible so as to allow said vehicleto traverse various bends within the rigid tube carrying said vehiclewithout said vehicle binding within said tube and the partialflexibility of said body of said vehicle further increases theefficiency of said vehicle by aiding in preventing binding within saidbends of said tube carrying said vehicle.